5 Against the House

Guy Madison and Kim Novak head an all-star cast in the film noir caper 5 Against the House, briskly directed by Phil Karlson. A group of college students join with Novak’s nightclub singer to rob Reno’s famous Harold’s Casino. As technical mastermind Ronnie (Kerwin Matthews) analyses the high-tech security system, traumatised war veteran Brick (Brian Keith) threatens blow the whole plan apart. A classic of the heist genre, 5 Against the House was an influence on Ocean’s 11 and Martin Scorsese’s Casino, and forced the real-life Harry’s to change the design of its security systems for fear of copycat robbery attempts. (Powerhouse Films)